Cooking rice on the stove can come with a variety of different challenges. From faulty electric stove temperatures, to not knowing what level of heat to adjust your gas stove to, your “quick and easy dinner” prep can often end up leaving you with rice that is soggy, sticky and ultimately, underwhelming.
A rice cooker makes cooking rice a quick task that requires very little oversight on your end. Rice cookers work by heating the bowl that conducts heat into the basin of the bowl that heats and boils the water with the rice. Once the water is boiling, the heat is transformed into steam that rises to the top of the bowl. This process leaves your rice fluffy, soggy-free and ready to eat in under twenty minutes. When buying a rice cooker, you want to keep in mind how much rice you will be making to decide what size you will need, as well as look for one that is easy to clean, has a nonstick interior, and comes with a condensation collector. Many of these rice cookers are great for making porridges too. Here are three of our favorite picks to get.
1. Aroma Housewares Cool-Touch Rice Cooker
The Aroma Housewares Cool-Touch Rice Cooker is a multi-functional cooker that can be used to make more than just rice. This rice cooker comes with a built in steamer that cane be used to cook vegetables, rice, soup and other meals. As a rice cooker it can hold up to 8 cups of cooked rice for when you are making a meal for a group of four. If you are someone who is constantly on the go and multi-tasking this rice cooker will be a great addition to your kitchen because you can just turn it on, add the rice, add the water, and forget about it. You close the lid, turn it on, and the rice cooker will do the rest. Its digital display will show a count down to when the rice will be done. If you leave the rice cooker on after it is done cooking the rice cooker will switch to warm to keep your rice warm until you are ready to eat it.
PROS: Has an aesthetic modern exterior, is very simple to use and comes with a condensation collector.
CONS: When the rice is done a beeping sound will go off to let you know. Some reviewers don’t like how loud the beep is.
2. Aroma Housewares 20 Cup Rice Cooker
The Aroma Housewares 20 Cup Rice Cooker is very similar to the Aroma Cool-Touch Rice Cooker mentioned above, but it can make up to 20 cups of rice instead of just 8. If you are a regular meal prepper who makes large amounts of rice for your weekly meals, or you’re frequently hosting and making meals for a big group this size rice cooker will save you time. This rice cooker also comes with the options to saute food if desired. This rice cooker can make a large amount of rice while ensuring quality . It will leave your rice fluffy and delicious, and is easy to clean up with its non-stick inner pot.
PROS: Can make 20 cups of rice.
CONS: Some reviewers claim that if you leave the rice in the “Keep Warm” setting for a significant amount of time the condensation will start to drip into the rice causing it to become soggy.
3. Black & Decker Rice Cooker
The Black and Decker Rice Cooker doesn’t have a digital display like the other two rice cookers listed above but it does have a switch you can turn on and and off. This rice cooker comes in a vairety of sizes from 3 cups all the way up to 28 cups. So if you’re cooking for one or for several you can choose the size that best fits your needs. This rice cooker is very user friendly, all you have to do is switch the on button in the upward position and the “cook” light will light up, once it’s done you will know because the “cook” light will turn off, and the “warm” light will turn on. If you strictly want to use your rice cooker for just making rice this is a reliable choice.
PROS: Comes in a variety of sizes.
CONS: Isn’t a multi-functional rice cooker.